177. Small Changes That Have BIG Impact for Your Guests
Deborah Labi is a retired property manager with her fingers in many pies, sharing her experience via her consultancy, a podcast, a soon-to-launch second podcast, and co-director of The Book Direct Show. She likes to keep as busy as her brain; an OCC – or obsessive compulsive creative – she’s an ideas fountain.
Through The Guest Inn-Spector, Deborah has keyed in on the small details that have a large impact on your guests. She believes property owners should stay in their own rentals in order to experience them as a guest would, and envision the guest’s journey from check-in to check-out. But at the very least, have a friend or family member stay and offer their feedback (or, hire Deborah!).
Essential things to audit and optimize in your rental, courtesy of The Guest Inn-Spector:
- Live chat availability while guests are browsing your booking site
- Ease of booking - how many steps does it take a guest to pay and confirm the booking?
- Check-in email sequence - don’t spam, but also don’t ghost
- If your listing incorporates third parties (e.g. smart lock notifications), ensure these are branded through your listing to avoid guest confusion
- Arrival instructions - this may be your guest’s first time in a city (or country!) so avoid giving them too much work in order to get their key and check in
- First impressions after entering your space (think: WiFi access, coat hangers, etc.)
- General property design - simple, functional things that make guests feel like they’re in a home, not a hotel - for example, where do guests hang their towels after a shower?
- Check-out instructions - guests are now focusing on their travel plans and flight confirmations, so consider not adding too much extra work for them
- Send a review request to your guest on their last day of the stay, while they’re still in your space - don’t wait until after they check out
Resources:
- PDF: Top 5 Amenities You Should Provide at Your Short Term Rental
- The Guest Inn-Spector
- The Techsplained Podcast
- The Book Direct Show
- Drift Live Chat
- #STRShareSunday: @guesthouse71
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.
Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!
Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!